FURIOUS Worcester MP Robin Walker has called on highways chiefs to immediately review lane closures on the M5 which are causing major delays for city commuters.
Motorists are yet again facing longer journeys after Highways England ‘imposed’ lane closures between Worcester and the M42 junction to slow traffic approaching roadworks at the Oldbury Viaduct in Birmingham.
The latest disruption on the M5 follows years of misery for city commuters after the disruption caused by the Smart Motorway upgrade works.
In a damning letter to the Chief Executive of Highways England, Jim O’Sullivan, Mr Walker said Worcester residents are ‘at the end of their tether’ with disruption on the M5.
He has called on the motorway agency to make better use of the newly installed gantry signs and temporary speed restrictions to control traffic flow, rather than imposing lane closures.
“Many of my constituents are at the end of their tether with the delays on the M5,” Mr Walker said.
“After the much anticipated and much delayed end to the Smart Motorway works, we all thought that our commutes would be smoother and quicker.
“For these lane closures to now be imposed on the county seems entirely counter-productive.
“The improved overhead signage is there for a reason, and I have asked Highways England to consider making better use of this to regulate northbound traffic flow rather than resorting to the wholesale closure of lanes.
“I have also passed on the concerns of many constituents who have contacted me about this, and I hope that these concerns will be listened to and acted upon by Highways England.”
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